Fire escape



Nov. 25, 1930. c. ABBOTT ET AL FIRE ESCAPE Filed Sept. 20, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 5 [111. Ah 1: nPc

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/ I ATTORNEYJ it Patented Nov. 19 30 cEcri. CORNELIUS-ABBOTT; on HARBOR simmers;

LESLIE BASSETT, nun revm LOUIS 5 BASSETTQOF DETR01T* FIRE Escuirn Application filed September 5 cable is wound upon a drum to be lowered to the ground when the use of the escape is required, and includes means whereby the suspending tape maybe rewou'nd to permit its use by another party.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view-in elevation, with parts broken away, of a fire escape embodying the present improvements;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, and Fig. 4 is a detail section through the brake a mechanism on the line 4-4: of Fig. 1.

In carrying out the present invention, there provided a frame consisting of two side i 1 plates 1 and an intermediate plate or partition 2 which are preferably of rectangular form and are secured together by long bolts 3 insertedthrough their corners and fitted with spacing sleeves 4; between the several parts, as shown clearly in Fig. 8. At the outer sides of the side plates or walls'l are casing plates 5 which are suitably shaped to project beyond the outline of the frame plates or 7 walls 1 and thereby protect the working parts l from damage by chance blows; A driving or main shaft 6 is disposed centrally through the walls or side plates 1 and the partition 2 and is rotatably mounted in suitable bushings, as 7, fitted in the several plates. Between one wall 1 and the partition or intermediate plate 2, a drum 8 is provided, said drum consisting of sideplates or disks secured to a hub 9 which is keyed orotherwise fiXed upon' the main shaft, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3. A steel tape 10 is secured to the'hub 9 and is wound thereon between the side plates of the drum, an adjustable belt or loop 11 being firmly secured to the end of the tape, as shown in Fig. 1. This belt may be secured to the tape in any convenient manner and we have shown clamping blocks 12 fitted against op: posite faces of crimped portions of the tape, the loop bG1I1gfOIHIBd by doubling the tape upon itself and covering the doubled portion with any suitable fabric. A slip ring Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same;

Ann WiLLARD EARIi BASSETT:, L Br an: J:

MICHIGAN g tQxlQ her 'i H-TEXPe i ei figs ispo betweenfthefratchetfm anda...

il i ldli 18 i ed I PdI semen, shaft 3 a w i u ,niseh y lat e acisme ga e t wia'iihexe he a. of ea e 1: 1 nTlif lpin d fi i me imm diat ly a1- jjacent the sid off the wall 1ff more1 mote li fefi e I enti e it m h s with s :19 iffi ed PO'ri a te s ft'flo' h dh is r baa- 1 5M5 fit ed i nt rin di sliilat r d tion Qand the side wall '1', asaea iy aewn. Upea he Q iet-e d of he s a t 0 56011156111 1 a gear'2'1 meshing with" a gear 22which is' looseupon themain shaft atthe outenside 0f 1 t e. dja en we llif e s w F -i A fla eeb hub is d r d yr v e c w t the I we: f c qi h i 'r an s 1 ne d ya i ga we ma n shaft in u h er ,tl' atjit may; otat'e about said shaft 1" but cabi e i w endwis e e n T ub bi flange? h s .thf bn niw h i winding crank [25 whereby the re winding of w he p f er fle f 1 th same m ;ve y. a i y an rap y a mpli he (In: i winding the the rotation of "the handle or crank 25 is imparted directly to the gear r ce of a ratclfietfts ratchet 16 will slip past the ratchet face of the gear 14 but when the tape is un-winding the ratchet will be rotated in the opposite direction and will then engage the ratchet face 15 so that the gear 14 will be rotated to transmit motion to the governor.

The gear 14 meshes with a pinion 26 on a counter-shaft 27 which is mounted in the frame above and at one side of the vertical plane of the main shaft'6 and carries a gear 28, the gear 28 meshing with a pinion 29 which is rotatably mounted upon the governor shaft 30 and is fixed to a governor disk 31. Slidably supported by the outer face of the disk 31 are governor shoes 32 which are provided with radial slots 33 through which headed fastenings 34 are inserted to slidably secure the shoes to the disk, and studs 35 are also inserted through the slots 33 to fit in the disk and thereby maintain the proper alinement of the shoes. Retractile springs 36 are secured by screws 37 to theshoes and bridge the opposed diametric edges thereof so that the springs will hold the shoes out of contact with the brake band until the drum, in unwinding, attains some appreciable speed. The shoes, it will be noted, are semi-circular plates having outstanding flanges on their arcuate edges to engage the brake band. The brake band 38 is a ring or rim provided at intervals with lateral radial lugs 39 through which suitable fastening devices may be inserted tosecure the band rigidly to the adjacent wall 1, the uppermost lug being held by the upper bolt 3, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The inner periphery of the band is preferably lined, as indicated at 40, with some friction material, such as asbestos or the like, which when engaged by the respective governor shoes willserve to retard the rotation of the working parts and thereby check the descent of the person using the escape so that violent dropping to and impact with the ground will be avoided.

Having thus described the invention we claim:

A fire escape comprising a frame including a pair of side walls and a partition between and parallel with the side walls, a main shaft extending through the frame, a drum secured on said shaft between one side wall and the partition, a gear disposed between the partition and the other side wall of the frame and fixed to the shaft, a governor arranged adjacent the last-mentioned side wall of the frame, a train of gearing connecting the shaft with the governor and including a gear loose upon the shaft, a ratchet rigid with the side of said loose gear, a mating ratchet slidably mounted on the shaft and constrained to rotate therewith, expansion springs between the fixed gear and slidably mounted ratchet and tending constantly 'to hold the two ratchets in engagement, a winding handle loosely fitted on the shaft, a pinion rigid with said handle and held against movement endwise of the shaft, and gearing connecting said pinion with the gear which is fixed to the main shaft.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.

CECIL CORNELIUS ABBOTT. [n 5.] WILLARD EARL BASSETT. [L. 5.] BERT LESLIE BASSE'I'T. [L. s.] IRVIN LOUIS BASSETT. [L. s.] 

